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Newcastle enjoyed a brief lead in their Champions League clash with AC Milan on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
Needing a victory to keep their hopes of advancing out of Group F alive, Joelinton gave the hosts a deserved advantage with a powerful shot into the top corner of Milan’s net.
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JOELINTON BLASTS IT HOME!
A HUGE GOAL IN TYNESIDE. ?? pic.twitter.com/5J2OmHVyyf
— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 13, 2023
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Joelinton with a MASSIVE goal for Newcastle ?
Watch the #UCL on DAZN pic.twitter.com/BJdhkgNWW1
— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) December 13, 2023
But the evening soured for the hosts, as Newcastle’s lead evaporated in the second half after Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze scored for Milan, dooming the Magpies to last place in Group F.
Milan’s triumph, however, was only good enough to earn the Italian club a spot in the Europa League.
Paris Saint-Germain joined Group F winners Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last 16 after escaping Germany with a crucial 1-1 draw.
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The shortlists for FIFA’s men’s and women’s awards were whittled down to three.
Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe were named finalists Thursday for the coveted individual honor, which will be handed out at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in London on Jan. 15.
Aitana Bonmati, Linda Caicedo, and Jennifer Hermoso were named finalists for the women’s prize.
The individual awards recognize the most outstanding players from Dec. 19, 2022, to Aug. 20, 2023.
There were initially 12 players shortlisted for the men’s accolade, with stars such as Victor Osimhen, Kevin De Bruyne, and Declan Rice falling short of being named finalists.
Messi, who won a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or in September, captured the Best FIFA Men’s Player honor last year for the second time in his illustrious career after helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Haaland and Mbappe have never won the award, which was first handed out in 2017.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Bonmati is the likely favorite to win after a year in which she’s already captured the Women’s World Cup Golden Ball, UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award, and Ballon d’Or.
Caicedo impressed by winning the Copa America Femenina Golden Ball, while Hermoso shined during Spain’s Women’s World Cup triumph. However, Hermoso’s efforts were later overshadowed after the country’s former football federation president, Luis Rubiales, controversially kissed her after the final.
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Seeding for the Champions League round of 16 was finalized following a topsy-turvy conclusion to the group stage on Wednesday, as Paris Saint-Germain narrowly avoided a shocking early exit to reach the knockout phase.
PSG came from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund. That result, coupled with AC Milan’s comeback victory over Newcastle United, helped the French giants finish second in the ultra-competitive Group F ahead of the Italian outfit.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid beat Lazio to win Group E, while FC Porto secured second place in Group H with a chaotic 5-3 triumph over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Wednesday’s results solidified the field for the last-16 draw, which is slated for Dec. 18 at 6 a.m. ET in Nyon, Switzerland.
The eight group winners will be paired with the eight runners-up. Teams from the same domestic league can’t meet in the round of 16. The same is true of teams who were in the same group for the opening round of the competition. Matchup restrictions are lifted beginning in the quarterfinals.
Here’s a look at the seeding ahead of Monday’s draw:
Group winners (seeded)
Bayern Munich (Group A)
Arsenal (Group B)
Real Madrid (Group C)
Real Sociedad (Group D)
Atletico Madrid (Group E)
Borussia Dortmund (Group F)
Manchester City (Group G)
Barcelona (Group H)
Group runners-up (unseeded)
FC Copenhagen (Group A)
PSV Eindhoven (Group B)
Napoli (Group C)
Inter Milan (Group D)
Lazio (Group E)
Paris Saint-Germain (Group F)
RB Leipzig (Group G)
FC Porto (Group H)
The Champions League resumes on Feb. 13 with last-16 first-leg matches.
Meanwhile, the third-placed teams from each group drop into the Europa League knockout playoffs, where they’ll be paired with the second-placed finishers from the group stage of that tournament.
Dropping into Europa League
Galatasaray (Group A)
Lens (Group B)
Braga (Group C)
Benfica (Group D)
Feyenoord (Group E)
AC Milan (Group F)
Young Boys (Group G)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Group H)
Sides that finished last in their respective Champions League groups – including Manchester United, Sevilla, Newcastle, and Celtic – have been eliminated from European competition altogether for the season.
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Manchester United hardly put up a fight.
Erik ten Hag’s troubled side said goodbye to European competition after losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
United created precious little in a game it had to win to have any hope of advancing. Having conceded 15 goals in six group-stage matches, the Red Devils ultimately finished last in Group A behind Copenhagen and Galatasaray.
“We didn’t lose it today. That’s clear. We had some good performances. We also made some mistakes, some individual errors from more players, and yet it’s not good enough,” Ten Hag told TNT Sports. “I think today the performance was very good and we didn’t deserve to lose but we lost the game.”
Copenhagen punched their ticket to the knockout round with a 1-0 win over Galatasaray. As a third-place finisher, the Turkish side gets to continue its European adventure in the Europa League.
W-D-L
GD
Pts
1
Bayern Munich
5-1-0
6
16
2
Copenhagen
2-2-2
0
8
3
Galatasaray
1-2-3
-3
5
4
Manchester United
1-1-4
-3
4
It’s the second time in four years United have suffered a Champions League group-stage exit and the second time the club has ever finished dead last in a group.
The defeat is certain to heap more pressure on Ten Hag as he battles reports of a dressing room divide. United also face a daunting trip to Anfield, where first-placed Liverpool await them in the Premier League on Sunday.
United’s Champions League campaign never really took off. After falling 4-3 to Bayern on Matchday 1, the three-time European champions blew separate one-goal leads in an eventual 3-2 loss at home to Galatasaray before coughing up a 2-0 advantage in a 4-3 capitulation away to Copenhagen. United surrendered another 2-0 lead in a 3-3 draw with Galatasaray on Nov. 29.
Entering the final matchday one point behind Copenhagen and Galatasaray – and with injuries to Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, and Mason Mount – United needed a win and their two group opponents to draw to reach the knockout stage. But the team seemed resigned to losing from the opening whistle. It managed just a single shot on target all game and ultimately lost on a goal to Kingsley Coman in the 70th minute.
Making matters worse, defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw exited just before and at half-time with apparent injuries. Maguire, named the Premier League’s player of the month for November, tried to play through a groin injury before signalling for a substitution, while Shaw seemed to favor his hamstring.
United are now 11-1-12 in all competitions this season.
Copenhagen showed much more mettle in their contest, hanging on to win after match-winner Lukas Lerager was sent off in the 90th minute.
The Danish side last played in the Champions League knockout round during the 2010-11 season, when it lost 2-0 on aggregate to Chelsea in the round of 16.
